Abandoned
by LouisaRowe
Summary: Edward has left Bella alone and she's trying to cope on her own, turning to her best friend to try and stay sane. This story develops from there, and will be an Edward/Bella fic. Going into my own AU stuff soon. (Also, I'm working on a better title!)
1. Chapter 1

**This is set in New Moon after Edward leaves, and we know Jacob is a werewolf, but this goes AU from there. My first Twilight fanfic, so please read and review.**

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Bella woke to the drum of rain on her window, the wind howling. Perfect. The weather matched her mood perfectly. She always felt so depressed these days, never feeling like getting up and actually doing anything. Christmas had come and gone, and still no Edward. She sighed to herself, attempting and failing to push the thought of him away. It entered her head, not for the first time, that he really might not be coming back. It made her stomach feel hollow, and it made her want to roll over and drift into sleep once again. But she didn't.

It was time. If he really was never going to return, (and a part of her still carried the hope that he would) then she needed to move on. What was she going to do, spend the next fifty years curled up under the duvet? Although, that idea did have its attractions, she had to admit. She rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom, looking at her tangled dull hair. When was the last time she washed it? She couldn't even remember. Instead of running the shower, she got dressed. With the weather outside, she'd be drenched within seconds anyway, so what did her hair matter?

"He left you," she said, her voice thin and weak as she looked in the bathroom mirror. She tried again, wanting her voice to carry meaning and intent. "He isn't coming back. He's gone." As she spoke her voice became stronger. "He left you." She wondered if she repeated that to herself often enough, it would become ingrained in her mind, and she may come to believe it.

Pulling on her jeans, she suddenly realised that she'd lost some weight. They were hanging loosely on her and her hip bones were jutting out, almost painful to look at. Bella couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten a full meal either. She needed to start pulling herself together. She went downstairs and wrapped herself in her raincoat, before noticing that Charlie was still home. The TV was on, and she braced herself for questions she didn't want to answer.

"Morning," he said, hiding his surprise to see her up and out of her bed, without the necessity of school.

"Hi," she said.

"You're up."

"Yes," she agreed, with a sigh.

"What're you up to today?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I want to… do _something_."

"Good," he said, trying to smile at her, but the worry was clear in Charlie's eyes.

"Eat something before you go," he said. "Anything."

Bella went to the fridge, because it was easier than arguing. She was surprised to see it completely stocked and she glanced at Charlie. Clearly he'd been shopping, in case she felt like eating something. She picked up a sandwich and took a cursory bite out of it.

"Happy?" she asked.

"Thrilled," he said in a dour voice. "Take care of yourself Bella," he added.

"Yeah," she said. She left the house quickly, taking another bite of the sandwich, which actually tasted really good, and then she walked into the forest. Her guess had been right, she was wet through in seconds, and she didn't care one little bit. She trudged through the forest, heading nowhere in particular for about an hour, until she stopped on a fallen tree, sitting down and thinking. Thinking was bad, it always made her miss Edward.

Suddenly there was a distant crash, loud enough to be heard over the rain. Bella turned, waiting for something. Then she saw it. A massive wolf. Her first reaction was to run. She knew it was Jacob, but her impulse to run away was still there. The wolf saw her, stopped running and lay down on the ground, watching her.

"Jake?" The wolf panted, as if in agreement, tongue lolling out happily. She smiled at him, but in the blink of an eye, he'd gone back the way he'd come. "Jake!" She heard the foliage rustle as he dashed away. In a minute, he was back in his human form, wearing only his shorts.

"I thought you'd left me," she said quietly.

"Never," he said with an easy grin, sitting on the log next to her.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked, looking around at the weather.

"Werewolf remember?" he said.

"Oh." She leaned against his chest, and sure enough, he was blazingly warm. It was comfortable, with how cold and wet she'd become on the trek up here.

"Geez Bells, did you swim here?"

"I don't have the luxury of an instant fur coat when I want to," she said. He grinned. "What are you doing up here anyway?"

"Exercise," he said, but she had a feeling that wasn't the truth. "What about you?"

"I'm upset, and getting bored of staring at the same four walls everyday. I just walked. And I ended up here."

"How are you?"

"I don't like that question," she said. "Now tell me the truth, why are you here?"

"I called Charlie to try and track you down," he said. "He said you were out."

"I wanted… fresh, albeit damp, air."

"Right," he said. "I've got to tell you something, and I thought it should come from me."

"You're worrying me now," Bella said. "What is it?"

Jacob took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before he spoke. His voice was calm, but quiet, only just audible over the rain.

"The Cullens, they're back."

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**More if there's interest in continuing?**


	2. Chapter 2

Bella froze as soon as the words had been said. Her whole world had shifted on its axis. The minutes dragged out, and Jacob looked even more worried than he'd been before.

"Wh… what? How? When! Why?!" Bella eventually stuttered.

"Late last night," Jacob said. "I can smell them."

"All of them?" Bella asked. "Are they all here?"

"Yes," Jacob said.

"Why?"

"I don't know," he said. "I didn't get close enough to ask, and even if I had I wouldn't have been up for civil questions." Bella shrugged, her mind beginning to wake up. Edward was here, within reach.

"I don't want to see him," she said, surprising herself as well as Jake.

"Why?"

"He _left_ me," she said simply. "He left me months ago. Why would I want to speak to the man who wanted something else? Just to have the rejection rubbed in a little more?" She shook her head. "I can't do it. If I see him, I'll just… break."

Jacob pulled her into a rough hug and she appreciated his warmth. He felt good with his arms around her. "Why?" she asked. "Why are they back? I don't want to see any of them. Not Alice, not Carlisle or Esme. It just reminds me of what I don't have, and I don't need that."

"Okay," he said, stroking her sodden hair. He changed the subject, wanting to get off of this emotionally charged topic. "You've no idea where you are do you?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I walked vaguely. And yes, I am a little lost." She forced a smile out.

"Let me take you home," he said. "It'll be much quicker than you wandering about for days on end."

"Okay," she said. "But not yet."

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Two hours later or so, Bella stood up. The rain had stopped but drops were still falling off of the trees. "Home?" Jacob asked.

"Please."

"Hang on, I'll just change." He disappeared and in less than a minute Jacob reappeared in his wolf form, his nose nudging up against her. She got on his back, a bit wary of her weight as she entwined her fingers in his fur. Then she gripped on for dear life as Jacob took off, almost flying through the forest. She closed her eyes against the blur of colour as he ran, and she waited for the uncomfortable rocking motion to stop. It did in about ten minutes, leaving her at the edge of the forest, her house in sight.

"That was fast," she said, getting off of him. Jacob looked at her house and whined. "They're here?" she asked after a moment. Jacob nodded his muzzle and Bella took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. "Thanks for the heads up. And the lift," she added as an afterthought. He sat down on his haunches, clearly not going anywhere. "I'll be fine," she said, not really believing it. "Go." She was ignored.

With a sigh, Bella turned towards her house which suddenly looked forbidding. Almost as if in slow motion she opened the door and looked around, expecting to see something out of the ordinary. Charlie was asleep, the TV blaring in the background and the kitchen was empty. With a heavy heart, she went upstairs.

It wasn't that great a surprise to find Edward in her bedroom. What was a surprise was how he looked. She'd tried desperately to remember every facet of him, and she had. But not as clearly defined as the vision that stood in front of her. He seemed more immediate and real than she'd remembered. Maybe he was just _more_. His eyes were golden brown and they were staring at her intently. She had a sudden wish that she wasn't wet through and bedraggled from a morning spent in the forest.

They were both as still as statues, staring at the other. "Most people ring the doorbell," she said lowly when the silence became overwhelming.

"Well, I'm not most people," he said as she turned away, not wanting to become hypnotised by those beautiful eyes.

"Edward, I don't want you in my house," she said. "It's too hard. Please leave."

"Bella…"

"I can't do this," she said simply, finally looking at him. "It's… you made your choice, now go."

"I had to see you."

"And you've seen me," she said. It was taking all of her energy to ask this of him, but she knew she had to do it. Edward simply stared at her in bewildered confusion. There was a sudden rush of air, and Jacob arrived through the window.

"One of these days people will knock," Bella said to herself.

"I think she asked you to leave," Jacob said, glaring at Edward who almost snarled in response.

"I'm not having you tell me what to do, werewolf," Edward said, voice low and soft, but carrying the very implicit threat.

"Bella, do you want him here?" Jacob asked simply, keeping his gaze fixed on Edward.

"No," she said.

"There you are," Jacob said. "Leave."

"Fine," Edward said. He cast Bella one last forlorn look before jumping out of the window. The silence was broken only by the pattering of the rain which had started up again.

"Are you all right?" Jacob asked.

"No," she said honestly. "I think… I want to be alone," she said. Jacob nodded.

"Bye then. You know where I am if you want to call me."

"Thanks Jake." Jacob grinned at her, but it didn't reach his eyes and then all of a sudden he was gone too. The only thing she was left with was a cold wind blowing in through her window. She closed the glass, wondering how she could bolt it shut permanently. If anyone wanted to talk to her, they should at least give her the option of slamming the door in their faces.

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**The first chapter got no reviews at all. If you want to read more, leave me a review (good or bad), and I'll continue. Otherwise I'll probably abandon this story. Thanks for reading.**


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